Should I invest in a welder?

["Turbo-T"]

Recently I posted posted this here:http://www.turbobuick.com/forums/ge...-check-out-homemade-shade-tree-test-pipe.html

I've considered cutting out the jerry-wrigged test pipe and try to weld in an exhaust cut out I have.

I would let an exhaust shop do the work but I'm afraid they wouldn't, in fears of being caught by an EPA inspector.

I don't have a welder but am not sure if it would be worth it to buy one?

My garage is only set up for 110 VAC.

If it would be worth it what type welder should I go with? And how much would one cost?

 

[BlackMetal]

Not worth the expense for a one time job. If the cat is already gone from your car then technically the exhaust shop won't be the ones removing an emissions device, you can find someone willing to do it.

 

["Turbo-T"]

I can understand that but I figure if an exhaust shop is going to re-weld it back up, they're going to "have to do it in accordance with the law"............meaning even though it rolled in the shop w/o the cat, they're going to have to/want to install a cat before it leaves the shop....since it came with a cat from the factory.

 

[rosewood turbo]

If you state has emission requirement then yes they would, if you dont then it shouldnt be an issue.

 

[turbofabricator]

If you buy a welder, you will wonder just how in the heck you ever lived with-out one in the past. Buy a Miller or Lincoln 110V MIG. You can buy a 135amp welder for well under $800. Check E-Bay. LINCOLN POWER MIG 140C MIG WELDER PKG K2471-1 NEW - eBay (item 140226455238 end time Apr-27-08 22:00:56 PDT) There are great deals on welders there. Many buy-it-now vendors.
Take a piece of exhaust tubing and cut it up in pieces and learn to weld it on your work bench. It takes a little practice to get a good weld. Make the pieces fit perfectly before you start to weld. After a bit of practice, you will be able to weld in no time. Read the manual, and practice, practice, practice. Soon you will be wanting a TIG welder and will be welding aluminum (very dificult to make a nice looking weld) and stainless steel. (VERY easy to weld) With a MIG, you can weld steel and stainless (with the right gas and wire). It "can" weld aluminum, but requires a spool gun and usually 220v power. Aluminum requires ALOT of amperage to weld anything over 1/8". Stainless and aluminum REQUIRE 100% pure Argon gas. Most MIG welder tanks are for CO2/argon mix, which is great for mild steel. You can buy another bottle with only Argon in it for stainless welding. Just swap tank and wire spool to weld stainless steel. You will soon find you have new "friends" when you purchase a welder.

 

[slow87]

Anything that can melt two pieces of metal together is just cool, and a must have in the garage. It never stops amazing me how useful a chop saw, and welder is.

 

["Turbo-T"]

If you state has emission requirement then yes they would, if you dont then it shouldnt be an issue.

Not sure about the state of Missouri, but it was my understanding if the car came with a cat, it has to have a cat go back on it. And that not too many exhaust shops are just going to omit the cat for the sake of the customer possibly being an undercover EPA agent.

Of course things MIGHT be different if the exhaust guy doing the work knows you inside and out, that you're not going to put his job at stake.

 

[Chuck Leeper]

Cats are not

If you state has emission requirement then yes they would, if you dont then it shouldnt be an issue.

mandated by the state laws... It's a federal "thing", and removing a working cat, replacing, or modifying the smog system is a federal offense. That's why the shops don't mess w/ it.

 

[rosewood turbo]

I guess its where you live, I know GA has emission testing but we dont,YET, so many shops will install a test pipe without question, with cats bringing 100+ dollars scrap they are more than happy to do it for free if they keep the cat. I hear the same thing from friends in many non emission states.

 

[turbofabricator]

If you leave your car/truck sit on the road side around here, they cut your cat out from under it while you go get a gas can! They recently hit 26 cars along a stretch of freeway in just a few hours. With all the DOT cams out there, you would think it would be easy to catch the SOB's.

 

["Turbo-T"]

That's nothing new. Catalytic converter theft has been going on for awhile now.

 

[craggar]

If you buy a welder, you will wonder just how in the heck you ever lived with-out one in the past. Buy a Miller or Lincoln 110V MIG. You can buy a 135amp welder for well under $800. Check E-Bay. LINCOLN POWER MIG 140C MIG WELDER PKG K2471-1 NEW - eBay (item 140226455238 end time Apr-27-08 22:00:56 PDT) There are great deals on welders there. Many buy-it-now vendors.
Take a piece of exhaust tubing and cut it up in pieces and learn to weld it on your work bench. It takes a little practice to get a good weld. Make the pieces fit perfectly before you start to weld. After a bit of practice, you will be able to weld in no time. Read the manual, and practice, practice, practice. Soon you will be wanting a TIG welder and will be welding aluminum (very dificult to make a nice looking weld) and stainless steel. (VERY easy to weld) With a MIG, you can weld steel and stainless (with the right gas and wire). It "can" weld aluminum, but requires a spool gun and usually 220v power. Aluminum requires ALOT of amperage to weld anything over 1/8". Stainless and aluminum REQUIRE 100% pure Argon gas. Most MIG welder tanks are for CO2/argon mix, which is great for mild steel. You can buy another bottle with only Argon in it for stainless welding. Just swap tank and wire spool to weld stainless steel. You will soon find you have new "friends" when you purchase a welder.

I agree 100%. I have the Licoln 140C along with the spool gun for alum., It's 110V and I just finished my frame notch and cage with it. Very handy to have. I haven't quite got the alum. figured out yet, and already want a tig welder.

 

[galoush]

The Welder is a totaly usefull tool to have and i love mine and Turbofabricator hit it on the head there .........anyway i looked at your story there with this test pipe , First id go to a few local places and see it they will do it ......worse they say is no .... The second option would be to replace the whole DP and exhaust and you install it all , if your having a baby belive me it gets expensive , saw the post about the Terry h DP and the wife ..............another option that may work is to get 2 2.5 inch band clamps and a section of 2.5 inch pipe cut out the 21/4 piece cut the 2.5 to fit and bandclamp it on both ends .

 

[ChavoLC2]

Elbow grease

Anyway by now I would have bought a couple new blades taken out the Hacksaw put some elbow grease on it and been done with it already. You could have it off in about the same time it's taken you to write about getting a welder.....A sawzall would be alot cheaper then a welder a hacksaw is cheaper then both might end up with a couple busted up knuckles but you'd have it off...

 

[2QUIK6]

I got fed up with a muffler shop trying to build a true dual setup over the axles on my TA...went and bought a universal 3" dual setup from Jegs, whipped out the wleder and the cutoff saw and in about 12 hours had a hell of a nice true dual setup that the muffler shop said he couldn't do the way I wanted it...but me with 0 experience at building exhaust setups did!
I say go for it, all you need is 100v for welding on light stuff...which is all you'll need unless you have a farm for the most part. Get a Miller wirefeed with the argon tank so you don't have to use flux cored wire and you can weld anything in minutes even if you have never welded before.

I'm amazed at the things I build now and don't have to pay someone to do it.

So yes you can do it!